Previous petitions asked to legalize, but the initial response provided seemed to indicate that Marijuana was a dangerous substance, different that others. The official response even stated
"According to scientists at the National Institutes of Health- the world's largest source of drug abuse research - marijuana use is associated with addiction, respiratory disease, and cognitive impairment."
Please explain how it can be justified that Tobacco, Alcohol, and prescription drugs (which also are more directly associated with issues such as these) are treated differently.